connecting the dots now and again

Thesis Writing in Oslo…

So this week I have been back in Oslo, and nothing really that new or exciting to report.

I have been plugging away on my thesis. I had a very productive week with it, and managed to meet with my advisor, do an interview (completely in Norwegian, yippeee I am getting more fluent! 🙂 and hammer out 20 pages. I have managed to twist all of my education for the most part thus far, around my passion for women’s soccer. My thesis is comparing women’s soccer in Norway and Canada for women that are now between the ages of 24-32 and looking at those that were top level players in high school, and how if any, the time that they spent on the field throughout their playing career has affected where they are now. I am planning on getting 10 Canadians and 10 Norwegians, and right now I am at 14 interviews thus far, with the hopes of getting them all finished by the end of September and preparing for a hellish month of heavy duty thesis writing in October.

For my work with girlsCAN, it is very educational and interesting for me to a) see how different countries are in terms of the systems that they have for top level female players and b) how women now reflect back upon their experiences with soccer and if they feel all the time that they put into it was worth it, and the kinds of things they would do differently if they could go back to being 16. I will post another time more about what I have learned thus far, but none the less, I absolutely love learning and researching, and perhaps it will be something I continue with into the future.

On another note, one of my best friends from my soccer days, Thora, who I played with last year in Kolbotn, who now plays for the top Swedish club Malmo, was back in Oslo this weekend and it was great to get to spend some time with her and catch up on all of her happenings. Again, its really nice to know that you can spend time apart with some people and then when you see them again its like nothing has changed. It was a real treat to get to see her and all the other girls from last year; I say all the others, and it was just Becky, Thora, Claire and Miriam, but it was a great chance to see some of the old gang again and laugh like the good ol times.

During the day yesterday, I also got a chance to have a coffee with an old friend here and we had an awesome chat about how much we control our outlook on life and how important it is, no matter what is happening, to always have a positive outlook. I love conversations with people and working through together, really what is important to cherish and do in this life.

Now I am back in front of my computer screen trying to make some progress on this fine Sunday with my good buddies Marit and Knut, from my program sitting working diligently at their own computers. I really can’t complain. Life is good.